Driving is a precious hobby and that starts with the purchase. Fortunately, there are still models that do not cost the world. These are the cars that you can make new on the driveway with a budget of only € 15,000.
We’ve been getting quite a bit of reader post lately from people who are shocked by the new prices of the cars featured in our tests and other pages. It is now the case that the importers, from whom we purchase the cars, often dress up their demo fleet; after all, you want to show what is possible. But also the entry prices, which we always include in the table with costs, are often not tender. Yet there are still models with a price that will not give a horse any hiccups. With € 15,000 in our pocket, we are looking for a usable family car, new out of the box. Fortunately, there is still a lot to choose.
Kia Picanto
€ 14,995
In 2004, Kia came up with a successor to the formerly successful Pride, once the backbone of the brand and the epitome of a lot (space) for little money. The Picanto had to take over that banner and in 2004 there was already a fresh Picanto for € 8,495. With that he was certainly competitive in the market, but it could be cheaper: in a Chevrolet Matiz, for example, which you could call yours for € 7,950. The current Picanto costs almost double that of its distant ancestor, but that still puts it in the Top 10 of cheapest cars. In addition, unlike at the time, you get things like radio, Bluetooth, six airbags, cruise control, central locking with remote control, electric front windows and even air conditioning on the ComfortLine-named slip-on. This makes the Picanto not the cheapest of the cheap, but a very complete one. The three-cylinder puts 67 hp on the wheels. On the road with the five of you? Calculate more than € 700 for the five-seater.
Fiat Panda
€ 14,850
With the Fiat Panda you laugh at everyone, according to (according to many) one of the best television commercials for a car ever. Nearly forty years later, nothing is lied about that, because the Fiat Panda today is the seventh cheapest passenger car on the Dutch market at the moment. And then you also drive a hybrid, because the entry-level model is the 1.0 Hybrid 70. No, you do not have to go to the municipality to request a charging station in the street. In fact, the Panda is only mild-hybrid, but Fiat says with that modest electric push in the back that it can drive ‘up to’ 30 percent more efficiently. Just like the Picanto also has the cheapest Panda radio, electric front windows and air conditioning. Good to know for people who think the two-cylinder Twinair very much sounds like a Metabo: the Hybrid is a three-cylinder with 70 hp and actually a six-speed gearbox. In principle, the Panda is also a four-seater; a third seat with a seat belt in the back seat costs € 300 extra.
Renault Twingo
€ 14,490
The smallest Renault is the Twingo SCe 65 Life and is a kind of different in the compact segment. Since the car was developed in partnership with Smart (once the Smart ForFour would also have been on this list, but Smart has gone all-electric), it has its three-cylinder in the back, from where it drives the rear wheels. That sounds sportier than it is, because with 65 hp you have to have a very slippery road surface and / or bad tires to push the Twingo into a nice drift. Nor is it practical, because the luggage space that remains above the engine is nothing to write home about. But because every disadvantage deserves its advantage, it is fair to add that the Twingo has an absurdly short turning circle thanks to that configuration. And that is of course very useful in the urban jungle. Because the Twingo is a ForFour at heart, it is only available with four seats. Rare in 2021, even among the cheapest competitors, are window winders. In the summer it gets sweaty in the back seat, because there is no air conditioning and the pop-up windows offer just enough opening for Bonzo to stick his tongue out. Then quickly to the electronics store for a radio, because that is also missing in the Life.
Dacia Sandero
€ 13,790
With the Dacia Sandero we dive below the 14 thousand euro limit. Just like the Fiat Panda, this entry-level model has a special powertrain, in this case not mild-hybrid, but LPG. Yes, that stuff that was once extremely popular in our country but has now almost forgotten. Yet you still tank for roughly half per liter of LPG. That is great, but you also pay more mrb, so calculate well with your own annual mileage. If that is convenient, then you have a lot of car and room for your money with the Sandero TCe 100 Bi-Fuel GPF. As standard, the Sandero is a five-seater and in the simplest version (Essential) it has central locking with remote control, cruise control, radio and electric front window controls. Unfortunately, air conditioning is only available from the Comfort, but then you are € 600 further.
Hyundai i10
€ 13,635
Hyundais counterpart of the Kia Picanto, the third-generation i10 unveiled eighteen months ago, is just a bit cheaper than its cousin. In its simplest trim, it is a naturally aspirated, 1-liter three-cylinder with 67 hp, the 1.0 Blue i-Drive. That’s a four-seater. The i10 is also available as a five-seater, but then you also have to immediately take a higher level of equipment, the Comfort. That could be a better choice, because it also has air conditioning, but it disqualifies itself for this story with a price of 16.6 grand. So we do it with the i-Drive, which, despite its modest position, spoils with Active Lane Keeping Aid, cruise control, central locking, crossing traffic warning, high beam assist and emergency brake assist with pedestrian recognition. One of its kind when it comes to safety, the i10. However, for music you have to sing yourself, although radio preparation is of course provided.
Toyota Aygo
€ 13,595
Until last month, the Toyota Aygo was the cheapest car in the Netherlands, but after scrapping the three-door version, it falls back to number four in this list. The most accessible Aygo is now called 1.0VVT-i x. Its daring design makes it a fun, smooth car to behold. Body-colored bumpers, carbon look in the bumpers and matte black accents mean the Aygo doesn’t look cheap even in its simplest trim. Also inside things that are no longer self-evident at the top of this list. For example, the simplest Aygo already has air conditioning as standard. However, the windows at the front have to be opened and in the back you have to make do with folding windows. You should also do without central locking. The Aygo is a four-seater. Under the hood, it has a 1-liter three-cylinder engine with 72 hp and 93 Nm, combined with a manual five-speed gearbox.
Mitsubishi Space Star
€ 12,990
Space Star was once a big name in our country because this Mitsubishi model, next to the Carisma, was built in our own Born. However, the current Space Star has little more in common with that than its name, which was taken from the mothballs in 2013 to be stuck on the tailgate of Mitsubishi’s smallest. You get it new out of the box for just under 13 grand in the aptly named Entry execution level (entry level is English for entry level). Then you still get electric front windows, electrically adjustable exterior mirrors, light and rain sensor and, more than most of the above models, a five-seater version as standard. Thanks to, among other things, bumpers painted in the body color, the Space Star Entry does not look that ‘entry level’ at all. You get ahead thanks to a naturally aspirated 1.2-liter three-cylinder with 71 hp and a manual five-speed gearbox.
Citroën C1
€ 12,890
The top 2 of cheapest cars is, let’s not avoid self-reflection and, moreover, you as a critical reader mow the grass away from your feet, arbitrary for two reasons. First of all, it concerns the same cars under the skin, only lovingly taken home by three different brands (although ‘three’, Peugeot and Citroën …). But because the three brands position them slightly differently, they each got their own seat in this race. Moreover, these Kwik, Kwek and (until recently) Kwak of the car world are three-door entry-level vehicles. Getting in the back is therefore a bit more difficult, but that does not alter the fact that they meet the access requirement: a fully-fledged passenger car. Nevertheless, for the sake of completeness: if we had set a five-door requirement, the C1 would have been on 3, the Peugeot 108 on 2 and the Mitsubishi Space Star on 1.
Anyway: on 2 we find the Citroën C1 in the Live version. Live to the max is not an option, because in terms of equipment it is rather sober. For a radio you have to stop by the Mediamarkt and for some fresh air you can swing in retro style. At least in the front, because in the back you get top-hung windows, if you choose the more expensive five-door. On the other hand, although the model is already well into its life cycle, the C1 still looks fresh and distinct. And of course, that’s what it’s all about here, razor-sharp prices.
Peugeot 108
€ 12,645
And then, drum roll, the cheapest ‘real’ car in the Netherlands at the moment. The counterpart of the C1 at Peugeot, the 108, opens its price list with the Access. With that you still keep a nice € 245 in your pocket while retaining the 1-liter three-cylinder with 72 hp and a manual five-speed gearbox. And that also applies to the clear list of luxury that you get with it as standard. LED daytime running lights and six airbags are striking. Is there no difference then? Yes, because regardless of possible brand preference, the options list can also make the difference. So think carefully about what extras you want, because things like metallic paint, canvas sunroof and two-tone version cost a little less than at Citroën, than at Peugeot. In either case, you can choose from a number of reasonably priced packages to scrub off the skimpiness.